The E.O. Paton Bridge, which spans the Dnipro River, is owned by the municipal property of the city of Kyiv. Therefore, the city authorities bear full responsibility for its maintenance, safe operation, and restoration. This was stated by the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine.
This is reported by Finway
Legal Responsibility and Competence of Local Authorities
According to current legislation, all artificial structures, streets, and roads located within the city are under the jurisdiction of local self-government bodies. The authorities of Kyiv must ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as oversee the quality of design, construction, reconstruction, and repair of such facilities.
“The legislation clearly defines that streets, roads, and artificial structures, including bridges, fall under the competence of local self-government. It is the authorities of Kyiv that must ensure safe, economical, and convenient conditions for the movement of vehicles and pedestrians, and control the quality of design, construction, reconstruction, and repair.”
Condition of the Paton Bridge and the Need for Repairs
As early as 2018, the Paton Bridge was declared emergency. In 2023, a special commission for inspecting bridge structures reported that anti-emergency works were only carried out on certain supports in 2018-2019. Overall, the bridge remained in the fifth, i.e., the worst operational condition, and 15 million hryvnias were spent on repair measures.
After these measures, no systematic maintenance or comprehensive repairs were conducted. This indicates insufficient funding and a lack of strategic planning by the city authorities regarding the restoration of the structure.
The Ministry of Community and Territorial Development emphasizes that even if certain functions or commissioning powers were transferred to other institutions, this does not exempt Kyiv from responsibility for the safe operation of the Paton Bridge. The city authorities must ensure:
- the safety of vehicle and pedestrian movement;
- timely planning, funding, and execution of repair and restoration works;
- the involvement of necessary resources to maintain the bridge in satisfactory condition.
Currently, the E.O. Paton Bridge is officially under the municipal ownership of Kyiv. The city authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the facility can be used provided that current movement restrictions are observed; however, its emergency condition remains a pressing issue that requires urgent resolution.